The Minister for Employment, Jobs, and Labour Relations, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, has publicly urged the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to reconsider its industrial action scheduled for Monday, June 9, 2025.
The Association announced its intention to strike on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, citing unresolved concerns over conditions of service.
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However, Dr. Pelpuo has warned that such an industrial action could severely disrupt the country’s healthcare system. Appealing to the nurses, he stressed the importance of dialogue between all stakeholders.
He said “When we embark on the strike, it has a total effect on society. In whatever sector you belong to, it has a direct effect on society and development.
“This means that employers and stakeholders must always work together to conclude when there is no need for a strike. Eventually, the government must listen to them, and the health authorities must listen to them.”
The leadership of the Registered Nurses and Midwives Association has declared to embark on a series of industrial actions.
According to the GRNMA, the planned strikes follow what it describes as the government’s failure to implement the Collective Agreement it signed with the association nearly a year ago.
However, several other health workers’ associations have distanced themselves from the GRNMA’s planned industrial action and criticised the association’s unilateral decision.
The dissenting groups include the Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives, Ghana (UPNMG); the Professional Association of Psychiatric Nurses, Ghana (PAPNG); the National Association of Registered Midwives, Ghana (NARM-GH); and the Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA).
In a joint statement, the associations explained that during a joint meeting of all nursing and midwifery unions held on Tuesday, May 27, it was unanimously agreed that no industrial action would be taken until further consultations had been held with each union’s leadership and membership.
The purpose of these consultations, they said, was to review the proposed roadmap for implementing the Collective Agreement regarding Conditions of Service.
Furthermore, they noted that a scheduled engagement with the Minister of Finance, which is crucial to advancing discussions on the Collective Agreement, is yet to take place.
The unions expressed deep concern over GRNMA’s intention to proceed with industrial action on June 2, 2025, calling it a direct contradiction to the collective resolution reached at the meeting.
